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Williston man gets 20 years for child porn

WILLISTON, N.D. -- A 44-year-old Williston man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography.

Jess Mallo was sentenced Monday, June 11, to 20 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release as part of a plea agreement, according to a news release. He was also ordered to pay restitution and to register as a sex offender upon his release.

Mallo was arrested in May 2017 and accused of having a photo of a 3 or 4-year-old girl engaged in sexual conduct. In July, he was accused of promoting a sexual performance by a minor.

Federal authorities filed charges against Mallo in September. According to a federal indictment, Mallo tried for about 10 months to coerce an underage girl to perform sexual acts so that he could photograph or record her. He also had numerous sexually explicit images of children, prosecutors say.

Mallo pleaded guilty in federal court in March to possession of materials depicting the sexual exploitation of children.

Mallo had a previous conviction in 2005 in Minnesota that involved the molestation of two girls, the news release said.